Rules of Play T a B L E O F C O N T E N T S
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Rodger B. MacGowan © 2018 Rules of Play T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1.0 Introduction ......................................................................2 7.0 Conflict Resolution Procedure ......................................15 2.0 The Map ............................................................................2 8.0 Special Rules ...................................................................18 3.0 Markers .............................................................................4 9.0 Victory .............................................................................20 4.0 Cards .................................................................................5 10.0 Scenarios .......................................................................20 5.0 Sequence of Play ...............................................................8 Credits ...................................................................................24 6.0 Actions ...............................................................................9 GMT Games, LLC • P.O. Box 1308, Hanford, CA 93232-1308 • www.GMTGames.com 2 Hitler’s Reich ~ Rules of Play • 5 Gray Cubes to indicate the initial Axis Operation 1.0 Introduction Barbarossa Attacks (4) and that the Nazi-Soviet Pact Hitler’s Reich is the first of the Card Conquest System game is in effect as well as the four Soviet Allied Attacks series in which players recreate epic military contests of history of the 1944 Operation Bagration in short, comparatively simple and easy to learn but hard to • 6 Canary Yellow Cubes to indicate… master games. Designed to be set up in minutes and played to ◦ Blitzkrieg Attacks (3) conclusion in one sitting, these are not simulations but games— ◦ Italian Surrender albeit ones packed with enough historical flavor, excitement, ◦ Malta Besieged and decision making to give you the feeling of being there at ◦ Spain’s temporary value as an Axis Production Center the highest levels of command. • 2 player Aid Sheets/Cards (PAC #1; back-printed) In Hitler’s Reich, one side is the Axis of Nazi Germany, Fascist • 1 sheet for the Axis “bot” Solitaire Game (PAC #2; 17”x11”, Italy, and their East European minions. The other is the Allies back-printed with a Compendium of the game’s Event cards) of the United States, Great Britain and its Commonwealth, • One Game Setup card for the 1944 Scenario (10.3), back- along with the Soviet Union. It is April of 1941 and Hitler, printed with optional six-Month/nine-Game-Turn Record already master of Europe and much of the Mediterranean, is Track (PAC #3; see Playbook, section 13.10) poised to launch his great march East—Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Soviet Russia. Unfortunately for his ambitions, • Rules of Play manual (this booklet) his Italian partner is in trouble, so he is faced with pressure to • Playbook manual divert forces to drive into the Balkans and commit more troops to the Western Desert. As the Allied high command, will you succeed in throwing 2.0 The Map back this onslaught and eventually liberate Europe by a Soviet The map is divided into spaces comprising Land Areas and counter-offensive and Operation Overlord’s amphibious inva- Sea Zones. It includes Islands, Straits, Production Centers and sion of France? Or as the Axis leadership, will you triumph Capitals. over all and create the thousand-year empire that would have been Hitler’s Reich? Map Legend Special 1.1 Components Production Production Center A complete set of Hitler’s Reich includes: Center Western (see 8.3) (oil drum icon) • One mounted 17” x 22” map Allies Soviet Vichy Neutral Axis icon icon Land icon Land • One deck of Conflict cards (comprising four suits of 13 cards icon country Land Area Area Area each plus two Double Agents): 54 total cards. • One deck of 56 Hitler’s Reich Event cards • Ten six-sided dice (five ivory with black pips, five black with ivory pips) • Assorted wooden pieces: ◦ 75 Control Marker Disks: 35 Axis black, 15 Soviet Allied red, 25 Western Allied blue ◦ 13 Hexagonal Pieces: 4 Axis black and 4 Allied blue for Fortification markers, the others to indicate the Hand Size for each side (2), Big Push availability (2), and when a Bonus Action is earned (1) ◦ 3 Short Cylinders: One blue and one black for use on the Year Track, one white for marking a Land or Sea Conflict, each embossed with a gold star on Unplayable Special Crossing Sea Zone Land Area Island Arrow border border one end (Malta; 8.4) • 10 Long Fleets: 6 Allied blue and 4 Axis black © 2018 GMT Games, LLC Hitler’s Reich ~ Rules of Play 3 2.1 Land Areas 2.3 Straits The map contains the following Land Areas: Straits are a type of Land Area, some of which have special rules noted below to reflect their geography. The map contains Area Status the following Straits: Neutral Areas: Portugal, Area Status Saudi Arabia, Never playable. Denmark Borders the Ruhr Land Area and the Skaggerak Sweden, Sea Zone. Switzerland Note: Denmark is not adjacent to Norway. Spain, Turkey Playable once activated by the Franco Gibraltar Borders Spain and the Strait Sea Zone around and Turkey Declares War! Events, re- Gibraltar. spectively. Note: Gibraltar is not adjacent to Morocco. Vichy: Sicily Although also an Island, Sicily is adjacent to Algeria, These five Areas are collectively known the Naples Land Area. Morocco, as Vichy and are a special case (8.5). See Note: You may not Attack Naples from Sicily Syria/Levant, also the Vichy Defects! Event card. (or the other way around) if your opponent Tunisia, Controls or is Disputing (2.4) the Control of Vichy France the Sicilian Sea Zone. If you Control the Sicilian Sea Zone, and either 2.2 Islands Sicily or Naples, you may conduct a Land At- Islands are special Land Areas in that they may only be captured tack from Sicily against Naples (or the other by successful Paratroop Attack or Amphibious Attack (6.5.1). way around) without an Amphibious Attack The map contains the following Islands: (6.5.1, item #3). Turkey A single Land Area which is adjacent to both Island Description the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea Zones, and Ireland Inside the Irish Sea Zone Turkey connects them. Sardinia Inside the Tyrrhenian Sea Zone. Turkey is neutral unless and until the Turkey Crete Borders the Eastern Med and Aegean Declares War! Event is played. Sea Zones. Note: While Turkey is Neutral, the Black Sea Cyprus Inside the Levantine Sea Zone. and the Aegean Sea are not considered to be adjacent. London & Scotland An Island with two Land Areas: Lon- If Turkey is no longer neutral: don borders Scotland and the North, (a) Whoever Controls Turkey may treat the Irish, and Channel Sea Zones. Scot- Black and Aegean Seas as adjacent. land borders London and the North, Irish, and Atlantic Sea Zones. (b) Turkey is considered to border Greece and Bulgaria, as well as the Caucasus, Persia, Malta Inside the Sicilian Sea Zone. and Syria/Levant Land Areas. Note: Malta and Sicily are two sepa- rate Islands in the same Sea Zone. 2.4 Sea Zones You must Control Malta and Sicily to launch a Paratroop or Amphibious The map includes 19 Sea Zones. Only named Sea Zones (e.g., Attack (6.5.1) from the Sicilian Sea “Channel”) are playable. These do not have printed Control Zone. Such Attacks within the Sea symbols; all are Uncontrolled and up for grabs at the start of Zone do not require you to Control the 1941 game. An Attack Action (6.5) may be used to establish both Islands. Control of a Sea Zone. Sicily Inside the Sicilian Sea Zone. Disputed Control. A Sea Zone Controlled by one player but Note: Sicily is also a Strait (2.3). containing an enemy Fleet is a Disputed Sea Zone. Otherwise Control is Undisputed. © 2018 GMT Games, LLC 4 Hitler’s Reich ~ Rules of Play 2.5 Production Centers & Capitals 2.6.2 Year Track There are 18 Production Centers on the map, each marked Use one Axis and one Allied hexagonal marker with an oil drum symbol. Some have more than one symbol to indicate the current Year of play. The Scenario showing their increased value as listed in the table below. The instructions (10.0) specify the starting locations North and Irish Seas represent crucial Allied Convoy routes to of these markers for each Scenario. A side’s hexagonal cylinder Britain. is placed with its embossed star side up to indicate availability of its annual Reorganize Action (6.1). It is then turned star side Production down to indicate that Action has been taken for that year. Center Belongs to Value Notes 2.6.3 Game Status Boxes Austria Axis 1 Map-printed Game Status Boxes comprise the following: Berlin Axis 3 Provides one bonus • Blitzkrieg Available. Use yellow cubes to indicate how many (Capital) defense die when Blitzkrieg Bonus Actions are available (7.9.2). Attacked (7.4.1) Use the designated yellow hexagonal Paris Axis 1 Can be a Production • Bonus Action Earned. marker that a Bonus Action (7.9) has been earned. (at start) Center of Axis or Allies (8.3) • Nazi-Soviet Pact in Effect. Use a grey cube to indicate that the Pact is in effect. Romania Axis 1 Use a yellow cube to indicate whether Rome Axis 1 See 8.2 Italy • Italian Surrender. Italy has Surrendered (8.2). Ruhr Axis 1 • Axis Big Push Marker Available. Use a black hexagonal Archangel Soviet Allied 1 marker to indicate whether the Axis has a Big Push (6.3.2 & Leningrad Soviet Allied 1 6.6) available. Caucasus Soviet Allied 1 • Allied Big Push Marker Available. Use a green hexagonal Kharkov Soviet Allied 1 marker to indicate whether the Allied side has a Big Push Moscow Soviet Allied 2 Provides one bonus (6.3.2 & 6.6) available. (Capital) defense die when Attacked (7.4.1) Stalingrad Soviet Allied 1 3.0 Markers Gibraltar Western Allied 1 Other than previously noted, there are three kinds of markers Persia Western Allied 1 in Hitler’s Reich: Control markers (3.1), Fleets (3.2), and For- Irish Sea Western Allied 1 tifications (3.3).